the creator of the Bush/ Chimp T-shirts and web site only had one motive

The Sock Monkey ?

I am not ready to condemn the creators as bigots

Quote:

The Sock Obama is a stuffed animal that combines the design of a traditional homemade "sock monkey" with the likeness of Barack Obama. The toy is marketed as a "cute and cuddly" novelty item for Obama supporters, but some of those supporters have decried what is seen as a racist depiction of the Senator.12
Fast Facts

According the the manufacturer's official site, the Sock Obama is meant to "introduce children to the political process with a cuddly plush toy all their own."1 Some commentators, online and otherwise, have been less than charmed by the depiction of an African-American man as a monkey. Jeanetta Williams, president of the Salt Lake City chapter of the NAACP, described it as, "pure racism at its extreme."3
Apology

Sock Obama LLC has reportedly issued the following statement: "We at TheSockObama Co. are saddened that some individuals have chosen to misinterpret our plush toy. It is not, nor has it ever been, our objective to hurt, dismay or anger anyone. We guess there is an element of naiveté on our part, in that we don't think in terms of myths, fables, fairy tales and folklore. In earnest folks, we're so sorry we offended anybody."2

I'm wanting to give the creators of the sock monkey the benefit of the doubt. I want to believe that they genuinely thought it was a cute representation of Obama, without the racist reference crossing their mind.

For instance, freshman year of high school in my history class we were studying ancient china and we had giant outlines of Confucius to color. One group was coloring his face yellow, not even thinking about the negative connotation of Asians with yellow. I'm thinking this was a similar instance. Still, it was very absent minded of them if the thought didn't occur to them that the portrayal of a black man as a monkey has historic racist tones to it.

Of course I could be wrong and these people are bigoted and are playing ignorant

The publishing company that owns the Curious George image says it is considering legal action to stop the sale of a T-shirt depicting Barack Obama as the monkey from children's books.

The T-shirts are being peddled by Marietta bar owner Mike Norman at his Mulligan's Bar and Grill in Cobb County. They show a picture of Curious Georgie peeling a banana, with the words "Obama '08" underneath.

Rick Blake, a spokesman for publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, which owns Curious George, said Wednesday that the company didn't authorize the use of the character's image, but hasn't been in touch with anybody selling or manufacturing the shirts.

"We find it offensive and obviously utterly out of keeping with the value Curious George represents," Blake said. "We're monitoring the situation and weighing our options with respect to legal action."

Norman has said he got the T-shirts from someone in Arkansas. He started selling them at his bar -- known for the provocative, ultra-conservative political slogans often posted on signs out front -- in April but said he has no plans to mass market them.

The sales came to light this week when a loose coalition of local groups called a protest of the T-shirts.

About a dozen protestors rallied against the shirts Tuesday afternoon, condemning them as racist and asking Norman to stop selling them.

Norman acknowledged the imagery's Jim Crow roots but said he sees nothing wrong with depicting a prominent African-American as a monkey.

"We're not living in the (19)40's," he said. "Look at him . . . the hairline, the ears -- he looks just like Curious George."

Marietta native Pam Lindley, 47, joined Tuesday's protest after reading about the controversy.

"I don't want people to think this is what Marietta is all about," she added, motioning towards the tavern. "This is what some people think the South is still like. Marietta's come a long way but I guess it's still got a little ways to go."

She said she'd like to see the city ban Norman's provocative musings regularly posted on a sign out front of the bar, which is near Marietta's downtown square. Those who gathered Tuesday say they will continue their campaign against Norman's "hate speech."

But his defenders are just as resolute. Mulligan's is a refuge, they say, in an otherwise hypersensitive world. Smoking isn't only allowed at the bar, it's expected.

"This place is a diamond in the rough," said Gene McKinley, a Woodstock engineer among the patrons Tuesday. "People here are genuine and honest. It's the one place I can go without having to worry if I'm offending someone."

Norman said he fielded calls throughout Tuesday about his T-shirts. An ajc.com story about the controversy was picked up on the Drudge Report. "One guy in New Jersey wanted me to send him 100 shirts," said Norman, 63.

He said he noted physical similarities between the Democratic frontrunner and the cartoon monkey while watching a Curious George movie with his grandchildren.

Someone -- "probably a customer, I don't know" -- from Arkansas sent him the shirts, Norman said.

The Tennessee native said he's providing a public service of sorts, reminding people they have a right to offend.

FLINT, Mich. - Barack Obama's campaign envisions a path to the presidency that could include Virginia, Georgia and several Rocky Mountain states, but not necessarily the pair of battlegrounds that decided the last two elections — Florida and Ohio.

Now they are hoping for some more "small ball" tactics to slip them by in November.

Axelrod and the Obama team are admitting the weaker candidate finagled his way into the nomination.

Now they are hoping for some more "small ball" tactics to slip them by in November.

the spin continues. this headline is designed to somehow try to create the sense that, still, Obama and Co. "don't care" about FL and OH voters. when that's not what Axelrod is saying at all.

you do realize that they aren't saying that OH and FL don't matter because they think (you imply) that they can't win there. what Axelrod and Co. are saying is that there are many, many ways to surpass 270 electoral votes. and they're right. if BHO wins VA, CO, and NM, then OH and FL don't matter. hence, they are organizing in VA, NC, CO, and NM -- something the HRC people wouldn't even bother to do -- because they know Obama can likely win these places, and BHO's unprecedented fundraising capabilities make this financially possible. BHO is running a sophisticated, 21st century campaign and is rewriting the electoral map as we speak.

it's also true that voters in FL and OH tend to be older, and thus more likely to fall for Republican smears.

Not to mention, BHO simply putting traditionally red states in play forces McCain to compete and more importantly, spend in states that used to be reliable. With McCain's lackluster fundraising, a 50 state strategy would really stretch his campaign thin, while Obama is lush with cash.